Welsh actor Rhys Ifans is set to star as the villain in the biggest blockbuster of his career, The Amazing Spider-Man. Though he appears as the very-human Dr. Curt Connors, for much of the film we’ll see Ifans as the scaly Lizard.

However, the Anonymous star confesses to a great deal of hesitation before taking a role that will have his transformed visage all over posters and action figures for years to come.

Ifans admits that he was nervous about the effects, but upon seeing himself in the effects he was won over. He says, “I thought, ‘What a night. That’s up there with the biggest, that is.’ I was thrilled. Beforehand, part of me dreaded the thought of sitting in a make up char for eight hours a day, but that wasn’t the case at all. They did so many scans of my face I felt like a dartboard. The chilling thing is, in the clips I’ve seen, I recognize myself.“

Yet despite enjoying the end result, when Ifans went for his audition he had to prove he had to act the part without all the special effects. He initially felt that the results were not very good, explaining, “It was a moment where Dr. Curt Connors is having a nervous breakdown, to say the least. I just went for it and ended up a quivering wreck on the office floor. They were obviously pleased but I didn’t think for one second I’d get the part.“

We’ll get a chance to see what Ifans has seen July 3, when The Amazing Spider-Man hits theaters.